Despite Everything
by pjolympus
Summary: He was here and he had everything, despite everything they had been through because they were together. And as long as they were together, things were going to turn out okay. It always did, in the end. (T for swearing & suggestive themes at times)
1. Prologue

"Hey, Wise Girl." Percy called from the couch, pushing himself up from the comfortable cushions to help her with the shopping.

Life had treated them pretty well since _everything_. They got married in the winter nearly five years ago. It was pretty low key, but everyone had _expected_ it to be. They were both pretty done with being in the limelight - it was time to do exactly what _they_ wanted. It was a day for them and _entirely_ for them. Annabeth looked beautiful but completely effortless. She spent the day laughing and the night dancing terribly with the stupid, hilarious boy she loved, even despite her dad not turning up at all.

Annabeth had managed to work her way up to the top of an architecture firm so they could afford something a little more than the tiny little box they had in the city. Enough room for the kitten Percy spontaneously purchased on his way home from work one day, anyway.

Percy had the day off today. Being a nurse meant he had a pretty weird work routine. His hours were unpredictable and sometimes he and Annabeth spent a week hardly even managing to utter a word to eachother because their timetables were so different, so they ended up communicating via notes stuck on the fridge a lot of time.

It was shit sometimes, but he was lucky to be doing a job he loved, no matter how difficult it could be.

It wasn't perfect, but it was _them_ and neither of them had ever expected to be this happy, or even alive.

Annabeth smiled at him, letting him wrap his arms around her. He could probably see that she had had one of those days, like he had some kind of telepathic emotion sensor or something. They knew eachother so well now that everything was pretty effortless. There was no point in keeping secrets here because they could read eachother so quickly that there wasn't anywhere they _could_ be kept.

To make things worse, he looked disgustingly, annoyingly good, even just hanging around the house in his sweatpants, his chest bare and tanned and goddamn beautiful.

She knew how lucky she was to have him. They were polar opposites in most respects, and yet, they still had so much in common. They never ran out of things to laugh about or cry about and their movie choice was usually pretty similar. They just _worked,_ in that weird way they always had.

He kissed her forehead. "I got the shopping, Wise Girl."

"Are you sure?" She asked, slipping off her shoes and not even bothering to conceal her sigh of relief.

He laughed. "Yes, Annabeth. I've got it. I haven't eaten yet but we've got loads of pasta so -"

"Gods, yes. I love you."

"I swear you only say that when I make dinner." He grinned.

"I'm only with you because you can cook, to be honest." She smiled and kissed his cheek. "I'll be with you in a minute, Seaweed Brain."

It had been years. He was still as excited and in love with being with her as he was when he was a teenager - nothing had changed in that respect. He still woke up in their bed knowing that he was waking up into a life with her in it and everything, no matter how long work had been recently, or how battered he was from a monster encounter, felt beautiful.

She shuffled into the kitchen in her stupid fish pyjamas that Percy had bought her for Christmas as a joke one year and grabbed a can of beer.

"You having one?" She yawned.

"I only just got up."

She smirked. "You're a disgrace."

"I was on the nightshift!" He reasoned. "Do you reckon its acceptable if I do?"

She chucked him a can.

They were _such_ a married couple and it made her kind of sad. She didn't _want_ to settle into life like this. She wasn't yearning for quests, or danger, but there was _something_ she needed. She was enjoying life, of course she was - she was with Percy. But she didn't want to get old and sit around waiting for death.

"Long day, Wise Girl?" He asked softly.

She nodded. "Yeah." She picked up Dora the cat, who was hovering by her feet and she tickled her chin as she purred loudly. She wasn't exactly pleased when Percy brought her home, but life without her would seem pretty weird. There was nothing that made her relax like the stupid cat did. "Are you working tomorrow?"

"No, thank gods... You're not, right?"

She shook her head and dipped her finger in the pasta sauce. Percy's arm slid around her shoulders as he took a sip from his drink. He spent a lot of time worrying about Annabeth, despite knowing there was probably no reason to. She worked a _lot_ and he worried that if she got too stressed things could get a little tricky. He was the same though; often getting called in to work at two in the morning after a ten hour shift. He was scared that one day everything would just get too much and their relationship would crumble.

"We should do something tomorrow." He decided. "just us two, I mean."

Annabeth smiled. "Dinner?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "We hardly get to _do_ anything anymore, do we? I mean, I just miss hanging out with you." He said, as he sat down and twirled pasta around his fork. "It sounds pathetic but I miss Camp, sometimes. Being on your team for capture the flag and fighting with you. Just doing stuff together." He realised that fighting wasn't exactly a typical husband and wife activity but it was what they were used to. They were still trying to adapt and get themselves back into the swing of the mortal world. It wasn't like either of them could get their swords out in the middle of the sidewalk and practice on each other. It didn't work like that here, but they loved the city too much to leave. "Being an adult sucks."

Annabeth smiled. "Tell me about it."

"You're happy though, right?"

"Don't be a moron." She smiled. "You know I am. Its just been one of those days, Percy, thats all."

"I know. Want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "Nah."

He smirked. "Probably for the best. I don't get architecture."

"What _do_ you get, Seaweed Brain?" She teased. He kicked her shin under the table and she laughed. She teased him a lot, but he was a lot more intelligent than anyone gave him credit for. He was ridiculously good with people and he had _common sense_ \- things that even Annabeth wouldn't get anywhere without.

"I get you." He smiled.

"Sure you do."

"No, seriously. I think you're bored, Wise Girl." It was a dangerous thing to admit, but life at the moment was a little _too_ comfortable, even for him, who was so done with the demigod thing that he'd do anything for a little peace and quiet. They needed something to _do_ , but for _them,_ like they were used to. As long as they were together and all that. Thats how things worked out best.

It was scary, how well he knew her.

She thought about it as she ate, thinking back to a conversation they had a while ago.

"... I think we should have a baby, Percy."

He put his beer down and looked at her. He had brought the baby thing up a couple of times in the past, and the answer had always been a _yes, but not now_. It was something he had always wanted and he knew Annabeth had too, but she was far more cautious about the whole thing than he was. She wanted to be completely and utterly sure before she agreed to it and she hadn't felt that until very recently. Percy was right; she _was_ bored, but goddamn it didn't mean she wasn't ready. She wasn't a _girl_ anymore and she figured it was getting to a now or never situation. She worried that if she left it too late all the necessary organs would pack up and it would never happen. They had been talking about doing this for _years_ now and sure, she was only twenty-nine but if she kept dismissing it, it would only get riskier.

"Annabeth, are you sure?" He asked. "I _know_ you know I'm completely up for it, but when I said you were bored I wasn't even -"

"I know, Seaweed Brain."

"You know its okay if you don't want to, don't you?"

"Yes, Percy."

"And you're not just doing this for -"

"Percy, listen to me. I want this. You _know_ me. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't."

"I know you wouldn't." He said, softly. She was saying this so lightly, almost as if she didn't know it meant the world to him, as if it wasn't going to change their whole dynamic - something they were comfortable with and used to - forever.

She smiled and put her head in her hand. "Then trust me."


	2. one

Work was exhausting. This was the longest shift Percy had ever done, _ever_ and even sitting on the worn carpet on the stairs felt like such a luxury.

He felt gross. He was in desperate need of some pasta and a hot bath and his wife and a cuddle. At least he had the weekend to recover, he supposed.

He did, in all fairness, adore his job. He never saw himself ending up as a nurse but he wasn't sure why it was something he had never considered. Sure, he had to work _hard_ to get into a position where he could qualify - he would often work into the very small hours in order to finish ridiculous, superhuman assignments that only brainiacs like Annabeth could complete in the time allowances suggested. The more he worked, the easier it got and four years ago, he got _here._

It was the people he loved. There were always super cute kiddos to cheer up and these lovely elderly couples and the occasional familiar face and it was all worth it. There was hardly anything more rewarding than making someone so sick feel a little better and it kind of made vomit-sodden socks and bloody hands worthwhile.

"Hey Seaweed Brain."

He grinned. _Nothing_ could make him feel better like Annabeth did. He dragged himself up the stairs and kissed her. She was warm and damp from a shower and she smelled of shampoo and everything he loved and he was _home_.

"When did you get back?" He asked, perching on the edge of the bath and switching on the tap. He wasn't really a bath person, as it happened. Son of Poseidon or not he could never get the temperature right and as a general rule he found the smell of too much soap pretty irritating. But he was tired and his muscles ached and maybe tonight it would be a good idea.

"An hour ago." He could just see her from where he was sat and he caught just the tiniest flash of bare back as she slipped on her pyjamas and headed back into the hallway, trying to untangle the knots in her hair. "You're such a perv."

He grinned and shuffled out of his t-shirt, recoiling at even the slightest whiff that caught his nose. Long shifts were truly disgusting affairs.

"Are you gonna keep me company?"

Annabeth smiled. "If I have to. What time did you go this morning? I didn't even hear you leave. I must have been completely out of it."

"You were. Half-two ish. Got called in."

She frowned heavily and sighed. "Percy, that's ridiculous."

He shrugged and sunk into the hot water, finally relaxing for what felt like the first time all week.

"Couldn't have said no. No one else would have done it." He yawned. "I get the money for it anyway so its not all bad."

"But its not _good_." Sure, he was still young really and his body could handle it, but overworking was never a good thing. Even a little bit of stress could build up into something pretty awful and that was the last thing she would ever want. Something they had learned over the last few years of living in the city was that leading a relatively normal mortal life was much more stressful than either of them remembered. They were loving it out here, but damn, sometimes they craved the easiness of camp - no money worries, monster worries, work worries. Worries that were pretty shitty sometimes, but nowhere near shitty enough to sacrifice their independence for.

"Quit worrying, Wise Girl. Its just work."

"I know. Just don't overdo it, Seaweed Brain."

"Got it." He promised. He gestured to the pregnancy test on the sink with sad smile. "Again?" His voice was soft and apologetic. This sucked.

It had been months. Months of sex that had lost all fun and meaning and was just a chore that at the moment, had no outcome. It was getting so frustrating now, and Percy was beginning to wonder if maybe something wasn't quite right and worried if they should see someone about it or something. The timing was right, he was sure of that. He reckoned if Annabeth had a baby right then and there they would be able to provide it with the best life possible from the word go. He couldn't imagine how shitty it would be if one of them wasn't functional in that way. It would be devastating for him - this future with Annabeth was what kept him going and if he were to lose a big part of that it would shatter him.

Annabeth sighed loudly and eyed it from where she was sitting.

"Haven't even looked. Forgot, to be honest." She laughed without humour. "Thats so crap. All the excitement's gone."

"I know." Percy sighed. At the beginning of this he remembered waiting outside the bathroom door all the time, expecting a grin or a thumbs up or something positive. All he got really was frustration, tears, arguments. This was stressful enough and it hadn't even started yet. He swallowed as he watched her shuffle over to the sink, wondering if it was _worth_ bringing up that maybe something was wrong. He felt guilty having to plant the idea of something that would provide them with _more_ things to worry about, but he did anyway. Ignorance wasn't _always_ bliss. "Do you reckon there's something wrong? Like, its been a -"

"Percy, shut up."

He sighed. "I know its shit but -"

She shook her head and glanced at him. "Percy, seriously shut up. I think ..."

"...Honestly?"

"I think so? I mean, that's what it says."

He gestured for her to hand it over and she did, smiling nervously as she knelt beside the bath. After all this time, all these doubts. Just when they were starting to wonder if it was ever going to happen it _had_ , today of all days when they were both endlessly fed up and in need of something like this.

" _Fucking hell_. Do we have any more? Just so its like, 100%? I don't want to -"

"Yeah. Loads." She flashed him a quick smile. "I'll be back in five."

Suddenly today didn't feel so shit anymore.

He hated himself for building himself up like this, because if after all it was a no he would crash right back down anyway. But he was a positive person; a naturally optimistic person which wasn't always helpful. It had kept him going, sure, but failures always felt a lot worse than they would to anyone else.

But goddamn if this was the real thing it would mean the absolute _world_. He wasn't thick, he knew things like this didn't always go right and he realised as he emptied out the bath that their track record on luck wasn't exactly the best. Maybe that luck was going to change from today onwards? He hoped so.

He smiled to himself as he pulled on a sweater and listened to Annabeth shuffle up the stairs.

He knew even before she even said anything - she had this gorgeous excited, relieved grin all over her face as she stood in the doorway.

"Yep. All of them."

He pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her forehead. This was what made everything worth it. Work, quests, everything. Feeling like _this_.


	3. two

Annabeth rolled over lazily, glad to find Percy beside her. He, amazingly, hadn't woken her up whenever he arrived home at some ridiculous time that morning.

Without intending to seem like a bit of a creeper, she enjoyed watching him sleep. It was realistically the only time when he really _was_ quiet. Even when he wasn't talking he tended to be fiddling or shuffling. These things, these tiny little annoyances had become endearing and even the dried up saliva at the corner of his mouth from a certain drooling habit didn't irritate her anymore.

She couldn't deny the soft smile gracing her lips as she watched him. He was so peaceful - his heavy, steady breaths were almost enough to lull her right back to sleep and maybe five more minutes wouldn't hurt...

Until she glanced up at the clock.

"Oh, shit." She shot out of bed. If there was anything she hated, it was being late. Especially when she had an important meeting in a couple of hours and this was her own _damn company_ and anyone working under her who was late would be frowned upon pretty harshly.

An unbearable wash of queasiness settled over her as she stood up. The kind of queasiness where even the _slightest movement_ was completely horrendous and sent her longing to crawl back into bed and sleep for a week or so.

"Whats up?" Percy mumbled, each word slurred by feather pillow and comforter, his eye opening the tiniest peep to assess the situation, whatever it was, lazily. No immediate danger. He closed the his eye again, assuming it was something to do with the fact that he used the last bit of milk last night or the electricity bill was one day overdue or -

"Nothing. Just stood up too -" She shook her head and quickly shuffled to the bathroom (thankfully next door).

He found himself waking up then, sighing and rolling onto his back. The polite thing to do would be to hold her hair out of her face or something, but he knew her well enough by now. Last time he tried that, she kicked him out. Her pride was something important to her, and goddamn the last thing she ever wanted was him looming over her watching the return of last night's pasta. So he stayed, grimacing heavily until the bathroom door reopened.

"I'm late for work." She said, toothbrush in her mouth as she opened the wardrobe, shuffling through the tangled mess of clothes to try to find something to wear.

"You're not seriously going in."

She disappeared into the bathroom again, coming back with a glass of water and perching on the edge of the mattress beside him.

"Don't be ridiculous. 'Course I am."

"But -"

"Percy, I'm fine."

He gave up. She was so stubborn - there was no changing her mind now. The only option was compromise, something he happened to be an expert in.

"What time were you supposed to be in?"

"Half an hour ago."

"Fantastic. Plenty of time to go for some breakfast with me so I at least know you've _eaten_ and then I can drop you at work and pick you up later on when you're done."

Annabeth groaned and rolled her eyes. He knew her so _disgustingly_ well it was scary. Of course she wouldn't have picked up anything to eat on the way to work. She would have picked up a decent coffee, driven over the speed limit and probably would have been hungry by then and would work through the day ignoring her incessantly rumbling stomach.

"Its not like its unjustified. You're clearly not feeling fabulous." He continued. She couldn't look at him - it was all in his eyes. The power of persuasion.

"I'm not ill though, am I?" She stood up, rubbing her stiff shoulder. "So technically it is injustfied."

"Not when I know for a _fact_ that you won't eat if I don't take you for breakfast."

"Only because I'm late. One day won't hurt."

"Annabeth, I'm taking you for breakfast. End of."

She pulled her hair up into a bun.

"Fine." She sighed, hair pin between her lips. She did not feel like eating _one bit_ but honestly, Percy wouldn't give up on stuff like this. It was pointless even arguing. "I've got a meeting at twelve though. If I'm late for that I'll murder you."

He smiled, leaning back into his pillows, propped up against the wall.

"Point taken."

He watched as she peeled her t-shirt off, revealing her bare back. He would always, _always_ be left speechless when he saw her body like this - scars that he could recall each story for, the soft curve of her waist, the sharpness of her shoulderblades. Even the light scattering of spots on her shoulders. She was fucking _beautiful_ and completely unaware of it.

He knew she could feel him watching her, but he didn't care. He could see it in the light, embarrassed smirk on her face. He knew it made her feel good, knowing the way he saw her.

"Do you mind?" She complained with a smile, pulling on her trousers and quickly slipping her top over her head **.**

"You look different." He admitted.

Gods, this whole thing was going to be so embarrassing. She was going to look so stupid and she was comfortable in her skin as it was _then_ and she didn't want her body to change. She didn't want puffy ankles and she certainly did not want to get fat. She was slender, her legs, her arms, her waist. She was going to look so disproportionate and that made her uncomfortable.

"By that do you mean tired and spotty?" She asked, examining her chin for any extra juicy ones to squeeze before opening her make-up bag.

"No. I don't." His voice was soft as he sauntered over and kissed her cheek, shuffling her out of the way for a couple of seconds so he could grab a t-shirt from his drawer. He sighed as he slipped it over his head, quietly noting that he had put on a bit of chub over the last few months. He needed to start working out again. He wasn't ready for a stereotypical dad bod just yet, thanks. "Your bum looks different. Your boobs look different. And okay so you do look a little tired but you're working loads at the moment so I'll be glad when whatever it is your working on is done."

So would she. Work was massively stressful so being late probably was a little cheeky of her, but at this point she _knew_ maybe an hour out with Percy would do more good than anything else.

"...my bum?"

"Yep."

She looked in the mirror and sighed. She couldn't see it herself and it made her even more uncomfortable. Other people noticing her body changing before she did left her feeling completely out of control and she wasn't used to that. Of course, she couldn't stop her body from doing what it did but she wanted at least some command so she didn't feel so out of touch, even if it was something as small as preventing stretchmarks. She had always been like that. She needed some kind of handle on what was going on around her.

She was concerned about Percy, too. She couldn't think of anything worse than the thought of him losing his attraction for her. It wasn't even like it was a ridiculously remote possibilty. She would be stupid to think that pregnancy wasn't going to do weird, terrible things to her that went even further than her body. it was going to fiddle with her hormones and make her cry and make her angry and make her forget things. She had a feeling she wasn't going to enjoy this much, somehow.

"Don't look so worried, Wise Girl." She gladly fell into his arms. "Its gonna be good. To be honest, I still thought you were something else when we got out from _down there_ and you were literally like a bag of bones. I'm always going to think you're cute, Annabeth."

Amazing. Even a couple of ridiculously, pathetically cheesy sentences could make all the difference. At Least she was reassured for now.

"I need coffee." She grabbed her bags.

"So do I." He followed her down the stairs, being careful not to trip over the cat who was settled in one of her favourite spots - the fifth step, to the left where the carpet hadn't been worn down so much. "Go easy on it though, Wi -"

"I know, Percy.

"...Sorry."


	4. three

"Do you have to do that?" Annabeth complained as Percy examined the enormous pile of ironing that he and Annabeth had been arguing over for days. Percy knew inside that it _was_ actually his turn, but ironing was his least favourite activity of all time and maybe if he could manage to get out of it just this once...

"Do what?

"Walk around without your underwear on. Despite what you think, I don't enjoy seeing _that_ hanging around all the time."

He laughed, pulling on some sweatpants and kissing her shoulder.

"I didn't have any clothes. I wasn't doing it for your enjoyment. Unless you did, in which case -"

"Absolutely not." She interrupted with a smirk. She had done enough of _that_ to last her a lifetime. The whole babymaking thing was a whole lot more difficult and frankly _boring_ than expected. There were only so many 'early nights' they could have without the whole act getting a bit tiresome. She was off it for a while, whether Percy liked it or not.

She actually _felt_ pregnant now. It had all been pretty subtle to the point where if Annabeth wasn't so desperate to be a mother and hadn't taken like, three tests a month she probably wouldn't have known.

The whole thing over the last couple of weeks had amplified a hundred times. She could _see_ it now - the rounded edge to her stomach. She could still hide it, sure, but her favourite jeans were getting too tight and if she had to stop wearing those people were _sure_ to suspect at least _something_. She felt the baby move sometimes, too, like a little flip in her stomach and that was _weird._ She felt a bit like a film extra from _Alien_ or something.

There was that and the general complete and utter exhaustion all. the. time, along with the complete intolerance of the smell of raw meat (avoiding that entire section at the grocery store had become routine now, unless she was feeling up to the dash to the loos, that is) and that was with what she would class as a fairly strong constitution. Not anymore, apparently.

"What's for tea?" Percy asked, gently. He couldn't help but notice that she had been a little... uptight of late and certain questions in certain situations were no longer tolerated. As a general rule, Percy cooked anyway but when Annabeth _was_ doing it after work or something and he asked her what they were having he tended to get his head bitten off. Served him right, he supposed. It was fairly easy to tell when she was in a dodgy mood anyway.

"Sausage, by the looks of things."

"Jumbo sausage." Percy smirked.

"Chipolata."

" _Ouch_."

She laughed. Teasing Percy about his 'sausage' had kind of become her first point of attack when he was annoying her - not that size meant anything, of course, but it was, importantly, what _Percy_ thought. She liked to get him where it hurt. "You're disgusting. And to answer your question, burgers."

"You're the best girlfriend I've ever had."

"I'm the only girlfriend you've ever had."

"And I've never needed a new one."

She raised her eyebrows. "That's just 'cause you can't pull any better."

"Or because there isn't any better, Wise Girl."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. He knew he was being cheesy and he _knew_ how much she hated _anything_ like that - she could see it in his dumb-ass smirk. It made her physically cringe whenever she heard anyone utter such slimy, cheesy drivel whether it was complimentary or not, nor did it help her heightened gag reflex.

"I hate you." She muttured under her breath as she buttered the bread.

"No you don't."

"I will do eventually if you keep being cheesy like that."

She smiled as he laughed. She _did_ enjoy teasing him, but mostly he was gorgeous when he smiled and there was a time where she struggled to remember what it even looked like, so she aimed to make it happen as often as possible so they would never reach a situation so dark again. Not like they were planning on going down _there_ anytime ever again, but Percy was very emotionally driven and if something happened to this baby or _anyone_ Annabeth was pretty sure it would hit him the hardest. It took him longer to get over things like that - not that it made him weak. It helped him, if anything. His love for everyone he knew was, Annabeth suspected, what kept him going most of the time through whatever rough patches or situations they had ever had and she was _grateful_ for that, because a lot of the time, he was the one keeping _her_ going. Well, him and her pure, untouchable stubbornness.

"Love you too."

She just smiled and shook her head. She was glad here was there today - she had had a long day at work and she knew it was pathetic because her job was blatantly nothing in comparison to everything she had ever done, but sometimes coming home to Percy making her laugh and being the major ridiculous douchebag he was defined everything she needed and why she got with the idiot in the first place.

"You look tired." He voice went soft, the jokey edge suddenly dropped away.

"I'm fine, Seaweed Brain." She glanced at his expression and rolled her eyes. "Stop looking at me like that. I'm pregnant, not dying."

"I _know_."

She smiled. "Stop it then, Percy. I can handle it."

"I didn't say you couldn't."

"I feel like you need reminding. Just relax."

"I don't, honestly. I'm allowed to worry about you a bit though, Wise Girl."

Not that she could ever stop him.

"A tiny bit." She allowed and he laughed, wrapping his arms around her. She felt different in his arms, the hardness of her stomach pressing into him was fucking strange but pretty nice at the same time.

"I can't believe we're doing this." He muttered into her hair.

" _I_ can."

"'Suppose I've had long enough to get used to it."

"At least you don't have to look like _this_ in the process." Annabeth gestured to the swell of her stomach beneath her tank top and Percy smiled a little. Watching this happen to his wife was pretty weird for him too - he wasn't used to this at all and he figured he probably wouldn't.

"It's kind of cute." She glared up at him, still wrapped up in his arms and he kissed her forehead with a grin. "Come on, don't deny it."

"... I suppose." She said, defeatedly.

* * *

 **I know nothing really happens here and I was debating whether or not to publish it but I figured I might as well - no point in leaving it to rot. Not even sure if it makes sense most of the time so I apologise**


	5. four

"She's going to kill me." Percy muttured, slipping into the car. He had put in all the clothes he knew his Mom actually liked to kind of soften the blow a little. It wasn't the pregnancy she'd be pissed off about - absolutely not, she had been ranting on consistently about grandchildren for years. He _was_ worried because they may or may not have left it a little late.

Annabeth laughed beside him. She was nervous too. She had attempted to hide four months worth of pregnancy under a dress that was loose fitting and pretty much two sizes too big and realistically it hadn't really worked. If anything, the material had clung to her and she looked even bigger.

"She'll get it though, yeah?"

They had kept the whole thing pretty quiet until maybe a couple of weeks ago, when Percy accidentally let slip at work and with demigods around, news spread fast and everyone at Camp was pretty much in the know.

"Probably not, to be honest." He sighed. They had kept it quiet mainly because things were most likely to go wrong earlier on and they just didn't want to disappoint anyone and they certainly didn't want the inevitable suffocating fuss if something _had_. Thank Gods it hadn't. They were used to grief, but goddamn it didn't make it any easier to deal with. "I don't know. She's overprotective, isn't she? I mean, I think we've done the right thing because if something had happened she'd be all over us. But on the other hand we have to do _this_ now with you looking like that and I think she might be a little upset."

"Looking like what?" She smiled. She enjoyed teasing him like this - trying to get him to say the wrong thing and getting him a little flustered. Keep him on his toes and all that.

He rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. How do you reckon we're gonna go about this 'cause its not exactly subtle, is it? You can't hide anything from Mom."

"Thanks." She said, and Percy smirked. "I don't think there are many ways to go about it. She'll bring it up before we can even say hi."

He laughed as they pulled in to his parents' drive. His Mom was sat on the balcony with a cup of tea, which made it even worse. Chances are they wouldn't even make it inside without getting some kind of reaction.

"Well that's shitting _typical_ , isn't it?"

"Absolutely." She looked at him smirking and rolled her eyes. "You're the worst."

He laughed even more.

"It'll be fine." He said, mainly to comfort himself. If the grimace on his face was anything to go by, he wasn't feeling fine at all and he certainly didn't think it was going to be anywhere near as simple as 'fine'. "Come on. She's spotted us now, so we gotta."

She grudgingly unbuckled her seatbelt and forced a kind of half-hearted embarrased smile. This was _the worst thing_ she had ever had to do. This was her idea and she had never regretted anything so much. This was proof that even Athena kids made stupid mistakes and she cringed as she got out of the car and prepared for an onslaught of shouting or something but ...

"I thought so." Sally shouted, leaning on the balcony fence with a smirk. "Nice work, Percy."

Now _this - this_ was embarrassment. They could both feel the tomato-red of their faces as Sally laughed at them. They felt like a couple of scolded teenagers after being found 'at it' on the couch (which actually happened. In all fairness, Percy's parents were supposed to be in Montauk so it wasn't entirely _their fault_ ) it was horribly uncomfortable and they wanted to crawl into a hole for a couple of years.

"Thanks Mom."

"Come straight up. Excuse the mess - Paul's visiting a friend and I'm not the tidiest."

Percy took Annabeth's hand and avoided meeting his Mother's eyes as he did.

He kind of wished she still lived in the first flat Sally bought with Paul. All of his happiest memories were there and it felt like he was letting them go to a stranger as soon as the place went on the market. He had never felt relief like coming home with Annabeth after Tartarus and every time he looked at that front door he _felt_ it and now he knew he would never feel that way again.

"This is absolute Hell." Annabeth brought him out of his sad trance and he laughed.

"Are we talking Mom or how fucking hot it is outside?"

"Both. Pick one."

"We don't have to stay long." He pulled her up the stairs. "We should go get ice-cream in Central Park or something after."

"Does Central Park have air-conditioning?"

Percy laughed.

Thank _Gods_ she got pregnant when she did because the summer heat was bad enough with a half-developed foetus hanging off her front. She imagined it was _unbearable_ for anyone beyond six months pregnant and now she could honestly say her heart went out to them. Their partners, too - she couldn't even begin to imagine how much discomfort was being taken out on them.

"Hi Mom." He was even doing the voice. Every time he was home late as a teenager or he did something bad his words were completely laced with guilt and he was pretty hard not to forgive. "So, uh, Annabeth's pregnant."

"I know." She smiled and winked at Annabeth subtely. Annabeth relaxed - Sally was cool with it. She was just trying to wind Percy up, as usual. She could live with this. "And you have some explaining to do."

He sat on the floor automatically, leaving the last chair for Annabeth, bless him. Sure, even if he hadn't, she would have kicked him off anyway but she didn't even have to ask and it was super sweet.

"Its nothing against you, Mom, I swear. We love you, but we thought if anything happened to it then we would rather keep it to ourselves. Like, you know how I'm like in those kind of situations and I wouldn't want you grieving either so we just thought it best to kind of leave it. But like, it was hideable two weeks ago and I'm not entirely sure what happened but its just kind of popped out. So I'm sorry that it went like this. You'll know asap next time."

Annabeth coughed beside him.

"Who said anything about next time? Hades Percy, Give me a damn chance to incubate this one first."

"We'll see."

Annabeth kicked him in the shin playfully and he smirked deliciously at her. She had to look away.

"How did you know?" Annabeth asked, slipping her sandals off to give her feet a little break. They were killing already and she was nowhere near the finish line yet. Fantastic.

Sally smiled. Annabeth put her feet in Percy's lap. They were so pathetically in love with eachother and it was so beautifully obvious. All she had to do was look at their eyes as they glanced at eachother. That with the constant back and forth teasing and flirting - it was like one of those exciting new teenage relationships but the excitement and adoration was constant.

"Its so obvious when you two are hiding something. Plus all I have to do is look at you. You looked exhausted and had a couple of breakouts. I can't miss it. You look pretty good now, though. You're feeling better than you were, right?"

"A bit, yeah." Annabeth admitted.

Sally smiled contentedly and leaned back into her chair. "Well, thank Gods. Thought it was never going to happen."

"We aim to please." Percy grinned. "Due at Christmas."

"Which is the shittiest day to have a birthday so I'm going to make sure that won't happen."

"Annabeth, you're not going to be able to stop it if it does."

"Shut up. Its not going to happen."

He snorted. He looked up at Annabeth and she looked so gorgeous, smirking stupidly and looking out into the city.

Annabeth was glad that everyone knew now. She felt like she could finally relax somewhat and maybe manage to let people help her when she needed it and eat as much as she liked without stressing about her weight too much - just _do_ things she felt like she couldn't do before. She was be stupid to think this was going to be easy for her - the first three months had been kind of unpleasant, but now she felt like she had kind of come out the other side. For a while, anyway.

"Boy or Girl?" Sally asked.

"Don't know yet. Might know Tuesday."

"I think its a girl." Annabeth admitted.

"So do I." Percy smiled and held her eye contact. It was nice to share moments like this, where the consuming terror of impending parenthood seemed irrelevant for a couple of minutes and all that was left was utter joy and excitement, a reminder of what was going to come out of this.

"So are you going to let me know or am I going to have to wait another few months for this, too?"

"I'll call you when we know something. Promise."

"You'd better."


	6. five

Annabeth sat drinking expensive coffee, staring out of the window.

Percy was speaking to his Mom, talking loudly and excitedly like he always did on the phone. He talked about the baby a _lot._ It was lovely how buzzed he was about it all, but sometimes Annabeth just wanted to relax and talk about the complete and utter weird bullshit that they used to talk about before this whole thing.

Today wasn't one of those days though - they had just come out from a hospital appointment and she didn't have to call the baby 'it' anymore. She or Her sounded miles better, particularly since she and Percy were both pretty sure even beforehand anyway and it was secretly what they both wanted.

As parents, you were supposed to say you didn't mind but Annabeth didn't see the harm in having a preference. Maybe the Gods had figured out a way to tune into their thoughts or something and were rewarding them for everything they had done in the past.

Unlikely. She'd probably be dead by now if they could.

He looked unbearably good today. He hadn't shaved in days but the prickly beard thing kind of suited him, he was all rosy cheeked from the chill of the air conditioning and even his outfit was decent. Having recently discovered the miracle of skinny jeans he basically lived in them now and it was certainly for the best.

"So now what?" He asked, dipping his finger into the whipped cream floating on his drink.

She shrugged.

"I don't know." She dipped her spoon into his drink too, kind of wishing she'd got something a bit fancier like Percy had. She was celebrating, after all. She smirked. "You're the medical professional. You tell me."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm a nurse, not a midwife. Different ball game."

"So you're honestly saying to me that you literally have no idea about any of this stuff."

"'Course I do. But not like, enough to give you in-depth descriptions of the contents of your womb." She smiled with amusement and he shrugged. "I think its just chill time for a bit until shit goes down."

"Is that a medical term?"

He laughed. "No. Wish it was though. Bit less serious."

Annabeth nodded. She was terrified. She had never thought about it when they were trying really, but recently it had been creeping into her thoughts now and again and she didn't like it. She was fine with pain - she could handle that alright (probably) with Percy there. It was just how undignified it all was. She didn't want to have everything on display to strangers. She didn't want to throw up, or cry, or scream. She didn't want to be vulnerable.

Percy could see the worry in her eyes and he took her hand over the table. He knew how scared she was, no matter how hard she tried to hide it. He wasn't looking for fear either because he wasn't _expecting_ it, not from Annabeth. Not because it made her weak - it certainly didn't - but because he honestly thought she was comfortable with the whole thing before they tried. He was sure she would have thought about it beforehand because that was the type of person she was. She'd analyse every possibility before taking the plunge.

"It's okay to be scared, Annabeth."

She sighed, avoiding his eyes and looking out of the window. "I know. Its just going to be horrible with strangers looking at me and I won't have any control over anything and you know -"

"They do it every day, Wise Girl. I imagine they've seen some weird shit. Its part of their job." He promised. "Anyway, the few people on that ward I know are pretty nice. And thats after meeting them at the end of the nightshift after delivering a baby in the parking lot. Thats like -"

"You delivered a baby?" She interrupted.

"I swear I told you." He said, raising his eyebrow as she swiped another spoonful of cream from his mug.

"I probably wasn't listening."

"Probably not." He smiled. "It's nothing exciting, really. I was just leaving work and walked past this car and it just kind of happened 'cause there was no one else around. Plopped the thing out and that was about it."

Amazing. She learned new things about Percy all the time but this was a big one. She often wondered what he was doing at work but she'd never considered just how stressful it really was. She suddenly realised that Percy dealt with life and death and that was some responsibility. Sure - he didn't operate or diagnose or did anything that doctors did, but even the basic stuff was important. Where would doctors be without nurses, after all?

How he could be so nonchalant about bringing an actual life into the world amazed her. She remembered when he was studying how fascinated he was by it all, even when he found things hard to understand he would persevere until he got it worked out. She had never seen him so motivated and it was amazing what doing something he was passionate about could do to someone who was typically a little lazy. It was sad to see him sometimes. He talked about things that used to buzz him up so much like it was a boring homework assignment. She guessed thats what long hours and nightshifts could do to a person.

"That's incredible."

He shrugged. "I guess. It's just my job though, Annabeth. I mean, I could say that some of the buildings you manage to think up are pretty amazing too but you probably don't see it like that, 'cause it's what you're used to. It's the same thing, pretty much.

"But you'd finished work. You could have left it - it wasn't 'just your job' at all."

"I _couldn't_ have left it. A newborn kid could have died or the lady might have haemorrhaged to death or something."

"Gods, Percy. The point I'm trying to make here is that it was a wonderful thing to do and you are the kindest person I know, okay? Lots of people would have just ignored the commotion and gone home."

He blushed a little and smiled. "Any decent person would have done the same."

"I'm not so sure."

He could honestly admit he was tempted to just _leave_. If he had, he would have gone home and gone to bed and he wouldn't have had that tiny experience that left him feeling pretty shaken up but damn _proud_ of himself. He was a nurse and people trusted him with their lives daily, letting him inject them with all sorts and not even batting an eyelid. This was _different_. This was a child he was trusted with and now he had sort of a vague understanding of what that love was like, he could see how much of a big deal it was - not that he'd show it. No point in shouting it off the rooftops. Like he said, people delivered babies daily.

"Maybe." He gulped his coffee. It was sweet and delicious and warm and was everything he needed after he accidentally slept in and didn't have time for breakfast. "Back to ... hey, are you alright?"

His eyebrows furrowed at the heavy sigh she breathed. He was a little jumpy with her, but he figured that was normal. He knew she hated being protected and nannied and he was trying to tone it down, but this was Annabeth here. She could probably be bitten by a hellhound or something and she'd knock it off as just a scratch.

"Just kicking me. Chill."

He ignored the 'chill' remark. There was nothing remotely 'chill' about this whole situation. It was the complete opposite of 'chill'.

Still, it was pretty exciting too.

"I knew she was a girl." He smiled, not even bothering to knock away Annabeth's hands as she reached for his mug.

"I know." She avoided his eyes. She knew she was thinking into this far too much, and realistically the last thing she was going to be thinking about was what was going on elsewhere, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't comfort herself.

Percy could see that too, apparently.

"Hey. I know you're worried, Annabeth. I can see it. Its gonna be fine." He promised. "You know that, right?"

"You can't guarantee that, Percy."

"Not medically, no." He admitted. "But whatever happens we'll be able to figure it out. We always do."

"...You're going to be with me, yeah?"

He nodded. "I want to be, but its down to you. Whatever you want, Wise Girl."

She loved him for that. She knew he wanted to be there and _course_ she wouldn't want anyone else, but the fact that he gave her the option was incredibly selfless and kind. She was lucky to be loved so much by a man that was prepared to sacrifice arguably the most important moment of his life so she could be more comfortable. If that wasn't love she didn't know what was.

"I wasn't exactly going to ask my Mom, was I?" She smirked.

He laughed at the idea.

"Unlikely. So I'm cool to hang around and annoy you, then?"

"I suppose." She smiled. "I'll kick you out if you're too irritating, though. Just a heads up."

"You _so_ won't. You like me too much."

She didn't have an argument for that, unfortunately.


	7. six

"You should have let me help you." Annabeth said, her words short and quiet. She was angry. Percy could hear that. She didn't shout very often. She was the kind of person who went quiet when they were pissed off. Percy thought that was even worse. She could be quite scary when she needed to be.

He shook his head, and even that hurt. He wasn't entirely sure of the extent of the damage, but he could feel the dampness of his shirt sticking to his chest and an intense throbbing in his leg - neither of which filled him with confidence.

It was embarrassing, if anything. He was supposed to be the strongest demigod of the age and he found himself struggling with a couple of Hellhounds - something he could have sorted in under five minutes with minimal damage to himself a few years back. Maybe he was getting _too_ comfortable, abusing his skills and letting his fitness decrease. Never a good thing to do with a kid on the way. If he couldn't even keep himself safe, how could he protect his family?

Annabeth pulled a chair from under the table.

"Wait." She said before he sat down, undoing the button on his pants. "Don't get a boner. I'm only trying to fix your leg."

He smiled. She always made things like this easier. He knew he was pretty badly banged up and the way she still managed to make him laugh was amazing, because he knew how much this hurt her, particularly now.

"Shame." He murmured.

"For you, maybe."

He winced as she pulled his jeans down. In any other situation, chances are he would have been delighted but goddamn this shit stung like hell.

"Sorry." She mumbled, assessing the damage as he sat down. He noticed the poorly concealed hitch in her breath as she sat on the floor beside him. "Percy..."

She was so obviously worried, so obviously hurt by what had happened that he felt that maybe he should have let her join in the fight. She was still incredibly strong, incredibly fast with her knife. Chances are they would have both come out of it with only a couple of scratches.

"Its fine."

Annabeth shook her head.

"You're an idiot." She handed him a square of ambrosia. "I don't _need_ protecting. You should know that by now." He squirmed as she poured nectar onto his leg. The worry in her eyes started to disappear as the wound healed up a little - chances are it would be gone in a couple of days with nothing more than a nasty scar. "Sorry."

She hated this. She didn't like to see him hurt, particularly since this entire thing could have been avoided. She _loved_ him and _knew_ him. She knew that he tried to hide his pain from her, like she did, and the fact that he was doing a pretty poor job said just how bad it was, really. Even if it was him who had stopped her giving him a hand, she felt guilty. If she had just _stayed_ _with him_ this never would have happened.

"I just didn't think it was worth the risk."

She glanced up at him as she bandaged his leg.

"Of course it would have been. Just... look at the state of you, Percy."

She dragged a chair beside him and pulled his t-shirt over his head. She sighed with relief - a lot of the time, thank gods, things looked a lot worse than they were. The blood soaked fabric of his t-shirt looked pretty sinister - Annabeth dreaded to think how his mother would react. Maybe years ago she would have panicked a little too. She was used to this by now, though. She had learned not to think the worst straight away, although it was difficult when it was someone she loved so much.

"But this could have been you. I am not going to risk that, Annabeth. Not now."

Thats when she realised this wasn't just about her. And she supposed he was right, to an extent. She understood that this wasn't just her body anymore and she could never, ever risk the life of her child. Despite this, it felt that it was too early to consider herself unfit for a touch of light combat - she was still strong, quick, light on her feet. She was perfectly capable.

She didn't doubt he knew that. He was just doing what he always had done - protecting the people he loved. She couldn't blame him for that. She knew what it was like.

"I get it, Percy. Honestly." She patched up his last wound and brushed his hair away from his eyes. "But you have to see where I'm coming from. This could have been worse and you know it. I can't lose you. I love you and I need you and I _can't do this on my own_. You have to understand that. I'm scared enough as it is."

"... you are?"

He knew she was worried about actually _having_ the baby, but her worrying about the actual parenting was a new one on him. He hadn't expected her to worry about this either and that made him feel worse than he already did. He thought he had nailed everything she had on her mind but apparently not - shitty husband he was.

She nodded. She had always been uncomfortable admitting how she felt, even around Percy. She was far too proud and she hated to appear vulnerable. Fear wasn't weakness and she knew that. It could be quite handy, sometimes, but not now. In truth, she was embarrassed because a baby was not a threat, yet the thought of it now it was actually happening could keep her awake at night. She wanted this - it was a complete dream, but she worried about how she would handle a child.

"I'm just not a people person, am I? I mean, I'm not particularly kind, or funny, or likeable, or -"

Despite everything, he smiled.

"The thing that gets me about you is that you literally don't have a clue how great you are." He couldn't help but cringe at his own cheesiness, but it was true. He probably wouldn't say it again in a hurry, though. "You _are_ funny - I think you're fucking hilarious. Maybe it's not necessarily on purpose but who cares, Wise Girl? It's why I like you so much. You're kind, too and I don't think you know that either. I mean, you've just kind of doted on me and it's like, nine in the evening and _really_ you should be chilling out by now. That's a fair bit to ask even if you _are_ married to me. _And_ you went looking for me for six months or so and if that's not fucking _kind_ I don't know what is. So shut up, 'cause that's utter bullshit. If I didn't think you were gonna be an amazing Mom I wouldn't have asked. You should know me well enough to know that."

"I -" She swallowed back a smile. She kind of wanted to cry but she wasn't going to let her hormones get the better of her. Not yet, anyway. "Alright, Seaweed Brain."

He grinned goofily. "Pleasure. We _are_ gonna make mistakes and that's fine. I'd be stupid to think otherwise. everyone does." His stomach grumbled and Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Anyway, I'm sorry about getting all banged up. I'll order a chinese to make up for it?

She smiled and pecked his cheek. "You can, but you're going to have to think of something better than that if you're trying to make it up to me."

He kissed her properly. "I can think of something..."

"Food first. Then maybe." She smirked and threw him the phone, throwing his ruined clothes in a bin bag.

 _Goddamn._


	8. seven

Naps were always good.

She had been completely working herself stupid for the last week to try and get this piece finished and sent off so she could just take it a little easy from now on, since she planned on working right up until Christmas anyway.

She slipped the key through the door at four, and was in bed by five past. Honestly, the relief of getting this massive contract _finished_ was enough to calm her down enough to actually get a little bit of _rest_. Even better, Percy wasn't home. She completely adored the bones of that man but he could never be quiet if he tried. Before she got pregnant, it was just kind of background noise - she was used to it. But now she was hardly sleeping at night at all and she was just so uncomfortable that every bit of noise when she was trying to catch an hour or so in the day was amplified a thousand times. She couldn't even bear the ticking of the clock in the bedroom anymore, so it had been relegated into the mess that was going to be the baby's room that they were both too tired to even think about.

She did get a solid couple of hours before Percy got home, thank gods.

He sighed as he shut the door. It was starting to feel colder now and he had spent the day wishing he had brought his jacket and it was just nice to be _home_. He wasn't supposed to be working at all that weekend and he hoped Annabeth wouldn't be either. A lie-in with a couple of movies was really needed - she had been working hard this week, too, coming in late most nights. He didn't like it, but even if he tried to confront her about overdoing it she'd probably bite his head off. He decided to leave it.

He stood in their bedroom doorway and smiled a little. She was curled up, the blankets twisted between her legs, her hair down and falling all over her face, her t-shirt had slipped up her bump, leaving it completely exposed and really fucking cute and surreal and she just gave Percy the tingles. She was completely perfect to him and he might have been a little delirious from exhaustion but he didn't think he'd ever seen her look so beautiful.

"What time is it?" She murmured, frowning tiredly as she pulled hairs out of her mouth.

"Nearly seven." He sat on the edge of the bed and slipped his shoes off. He was going to cook some dinner but he guessed ten minutes wouldn't hurt. He lay on his back and turned to face her. "Did I wake you up?"

"Yeah." She yawned. "I needed to get up anyway. Its fine."

"Sorry. You do look super cute if it makes you feel any better."

She snorted and shuffled under Percy's arm with her head on his shoulder. He smelled kind of sweaty but even that didn't bother her. She was used to it and it had just kind of become _him_ now. Saying that, she prefered him when he had showered and he'd be straight in there after dinner if she had her way. Which she would.

"Are you joking?"

"No."

She smirked. "I look like an alien. Or a giant stretch mark. Or just shit, really."

"Annabeth, you have like, three."

"Three more than I'd like."

He sighed heavily. He hated it when she said things like that.

"Why do you do that?"

"What?" She asked, surprised by the harshness of his tone. He hadn't spoken to her like that for months and it made her feel a little uncomfortable.

"Put yourself down all the time. It really bugs me."

She was never like it when she was younger. She seemed to have a kind of nonchalant attitude to the way she looked - she would have left the house in her pyjamas if she could. Since they had moved into the city it had changed and he did not get it at all. He didn't mind that she put the effort in all the time, it was the occasional self-deprecating comment that she slipped into conversation every so often that was the issue. It really bothered him.

"... I don't know really."

"You do know its bullshit, right?"

"In your opinion."

"I'm always right in situations like this. You're _beautiful_. So shut up. You should stick to architecture or math or history or whatever 'cause thats what you're good at and you hardly ever get stuff like that wrong."

She wished she could deny the pathetic smile spreading across her face.

"You're proper cheesy when you want to be, you know?"

"I'm right, though."

She just rolled her eyes. He was her husband so of _course_ he was going to think that - he was supposed to. Maybe some people didn't get those days where they wake up and just feel gross. Those days where your hair won't do what you wanted it to and none of your clothes look right and you would rather climb into a hole than face the day. But Annabeth _did_ get those days, more and more often as as she got bigger just because she looked so _different._

She sighed as the baby kicked her side. When she first started doing that, it was a fairly entertaining experience. Feeling something alive inside of her was just plain weird and surreal and strangely emotional. She was wholly responsible for the safety of this real _person_ and it was a lot of responsibility. Thats when everything started sinking in. Thats when she didn't feel like she was lying when she called herself a mother.

"Proper having a go, isn't she?" Percy said with a smile.

"You can feel that?"

"Yeah, right on my hip. Its so weird. Thats an actual person thats gonna look like us."

Annabeth laughed.

"I'm glad you listened in biology."

"You know what I mean. Its a bit surreal, I guess. Haven't really thought about it like that before. Like, shes gonna grow up and have experiences like we did and its just _weird_."

"Does it worry you?" She asked.

"Gods, yes. I just want her to be happier than I was 'cause sure, I had great friends and camp was the best time of my life but its pretty shit when you think the people you love are going to die all the time, or thinking the next time your Mom'll see you it'll be at your funeral. I don't want her to grow up that way. Like of course I am going to do everything I can to protect her, you know that, but I can't be there _all the time_. Thats whats scary about it."

If there was anything Percy was good at, it was honesty. He was good at being completely truthful about the way he felt, just completely trusting Annabeth with whatever was bothering him or anything that was going on in his head. She knew she was his go-to for advice and it was the most heart-warming, flattering thing he could ever do for her.

It was strange, getting to know him like that. When she first saw him, he had just stumbled back from taking on The Minotaur with absolutely _nothing_. She was threatened by him if anything and finding out who he was under his courage, his determination was the loveliest surprise of all. He was so _kind_ , kinder than anyone she had ever met and so gentle and trusting. It was all there; everything she respected in a person. Everything she needed to know to make sure she kept a skinny, irritating twelve-year-old she opened her heart out to in a dirty zoo truck in her life.

"She's going to be happy. Shes got both her parents, for a start. She's not going to be like us. There are _so many_ of them in camp now. Its not going to be a quest for her every year or anything like that. She might be lucky and not even have a single one." She squeezed his arm. "We're never going to know and there is no point in getting hung up on it. There's only so much we can do, Seaweed Brain."

"I'm not gonna let anything happen to her." He promised, more to himself, really. He still thought about Beckendorf a _lot_. Knowing he was the last person who spoke to him got to him and he wished he was quick enough to have worked out an alternative and maybe his death could have been avoided. He thought about his family, too. He couldn't imagine how it would feel losing someone so young and he _didn't want to_. He was just beginning to understand how his Mom felt, he understood why she called him up all the time and goddamn he couldn't imagine what he put her through when he went missing. As if the whole parenthood situation wasn't scary enough already, they had all that to worry about, too.

"I know, Percy. But like you said; you aren't going to be able to be there all the time. It wouldn't be healthy even if you could. You've got to let her figure out this stuff on her own."

He knew she was right. He felt suffocated even by his Mom sometimes. The constant phonecalls really riled him up when he was a a teenager. He would even get one or two when he was on _dates_ and he loved her but it would be nice if she trusted him to take care of himself. He had survived two wars, after all.

"Yeah. Not easy though, is it?"

"Did you ever think it would be?"

He snorted. "It never is. Not with us."


	9. eight

"I hate doing this." Percy mumbled, mainly to himself as he placed a decoration on the tree and sighing defeatedly as it fell to the ground.

Annabeth knelt down and picked it up with an uncomfortable groan. Maybe if she could just lean forward one extra inch she'd be able to catch this knot in her back and she would feel so much better. Not that it would ever be able to happen - not yet that is; not when she looked round enough to be hung on the Christmas tree herself.

"I don't understand why. You love Christmas, right?"

He nodded. He had since he had met her. She made the air seem a little less heavy, at least.

"Yeah. Just... bad memories, you know? There were always arguments when we put the tree up and now I know what he was like, I mean, I know what must have happened now and I just..." He shook his head. He didn't like thinking about it. He _hated_ talking about it.

Gabe was a long, long time ago now, but not long enough for Percy to have forgotten anything. It wasn't even like Percy to even mention him - it was a dark time in his past and Annabeth figured maybe some things were better left unsaid. She wasn't even _entirely_ sure what happened, even now. She remembered the change in him after he had gone and that was enough for her to realise that he had completely ruined a large proportion of his life.

"He hit her, didn't he?" She murmured. This was the first time she had even questioned him about it, for a long time, at least.

"... How did you know?"

"Just a guess." She could feel the change in his mood, even after a couple of minutes and she decided for the sake of the plumbing to take a different spin on things. "What you did... I think it was the right thing, you know? He got what he deserved."

"It was for Mom." He said shortly. He sighed. "I mean, I'm just not cool with killing like, actual people, you know? No matter what they've done."

She sat down on the couch, scratching Dora's ear. She was so _tired_ today and she kind of wished she hadn't suggested the Christmas Tree thing at all. It had made Percy edgy too which she never liked because it was so _rare_. He was one of those people who could see positivity in pretty much anything, hardly anything brought him down and it was horrible to know that something so far into his past was hurting him so much.

"I know you're not. But do you think he would have ever left you alone if he had just gone to prison? I mean, he would have to get out at some point, right? I didn't know him, obviously, but from the little I've heard he sounds like he'd do anything to get what he wanted. Do you think your Mom would be as happy as she is now if he wasn't ..?"

He visibly cringed, imagining what he would have been capable of, how much further he could have gone, how much more he could have ruined his Mother's life.

"Probably not." He sighed, half-heartedly placing the star on top of the tree.

"Good. You didn't do it because you're a malicious prick, you did it because you were protecting your Mom. You've done nothing wrong."

He sat on the floor opposite her, picking at the loose threads of their tatty cushions.

"She's completely scratched the shit out of this couch." He tickled under the cat's chin. He had been extra-spoiling her recently to try to soften the baby blow a little. "We need a new one."

"We'll get one after Christmas at some point." She promised. Not like the damn couch was the first thing on her mind. There was too much going on at the moment and couches weren't exactly a priority. She'd probably keep this one anyway - they bought it years and years ago second-hand from this old woman and it was some kind of stupid metaphorical representation of their life together. They had slept on it on their first night in their very first apartment so she was kind of attached to the thing. They ended up getting very, very drunk. She couldn't remember the rest but she could imagine what happened next. "...Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Did he ever do it to you?"

He sighed and fiddled with the hem of his t-shirt. It has horribly uncomfortable to think about things like this. He was just a kid at the time, after all. He grew up with him. He didn't know what was normal and what wasn't. He didn't know what the boundaries were and that _scared_ him. He was about to become a father and he had never really had a decent representation of one as a young kid so he didn't really know how he was going to be at the whole thing. Still, he trusted himself. He would never, _ever_ hurt his baby and goddamn if he ever did he would never be able to forgive himself and would have to live with the guilt for the rest of his life. He wasn't sure he'd be able to live with _himself_.

"I guess so." He sighed. "Once or twice. Nothing too bad."

"... _Percy_." She whispered. She was unspeakably hurt - not that she hadn't known, that didn't matter - but hurt that someone could be so completely vile, completely disgusting that they would hurt _her_ Seaweed Brain, when he was just a kid, no less.

He shook his head.

"It was a long time ago, Annabeth." He squeezed her hand. "Don't worry about it. I've been through worse."

"But you were just a kid."

He shrugged.

"Didn't know any different. It hardly ever happened anyway - only when I was dumb enough to wind him up."

"Did you honestly just sit there and try to justify it?"

"Absolutely not...I guess I mean I could have avoided it sometimes, that's all."

Annabeth sighed, leaning back into the cushions. She couldn't believe she had known him all this time, _loved_ him all this time and been completely oblivious to the whole thing. She felt awful. She hated to think of anything like that happening to him, how mean she was when she first met him and he was dealing with _that_.

"Fucking hell, Percy. I'm so sorry. Gods if he were still alive I would actually _kill him_."

He laughed a little. If anything, he was glad that someone knew. It hardly bothered him anymore, really, but there were some things that ended up weighing him down when he didn't even realise.

"I can believe that." He pushed himself up onto the couch, dragging the cat onto his lap. "Don't tell my Mom."

"...She doesn't know?" She asked, her voice still an angry whisper.

"Of course not. She doesn't need to, either, please. She'd only feel guilty about it. It wasn't her fault. She was trying to protect me - you get that, right?"

She supposed. She loved Sally with all her heart, she was a Mother to her. It didn't mean she agreed with everything she did, though, particularly letting a dangerous man live with her young son. Obviously the world of monsters was much, much more dangerous, but maybe if she would have just took him to camp it would have been easier for the both of them. She understood why she didn't - Sally Jackson was a proud woman. She wanted to prove she could look after her son herself.

But would _she_ introduce her child into that world so young? She wasn't sure. She didn't grow up very happy either, in camp or not. At least she and Percy would be equipped to protect their child if they should ever need to.

"I won't." She promised. Whether she was right or wrong, Sally Jackson did not deserve any more suffering. She rested her head on his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her.

"Thanks." He kissed her forehead. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Its just not a nice thought."

Percy sighed. He knew that already.

"I know, but it was like, twenty odd years ago. And it was _hardly ever_ , honestly."

"That makes no difference to me." She sighed, lacing her fingers through his and staring at the dryness of his hands. She had always loved them - they were the only part of him that looked and felt pretty much exactly the same since she had got with him. It was nice to have a little consistency in her life and she wasn't entirely sure what she'd do if they, as pathetic as it was, changed. "I just can't believe we have done this every year and I have been completely oblivious. I'm sorry."

He laughed a little and leant back into the warmth of the cushions, pulling the cat up onto his chest. She purred loudly into his shoulder and he figured that maybe bringing old memories back for himself every Christmas wasn't worth it. This time next year he would have a kid and he couldn't be like this around her. He would have to figure out a way to stop it.

"There's no reason for you to be."

"I know. Its just not fair, is it?"

He shook his head and tickled the cat's chin.

"Nah. But its pointless clinging on to bullshit like that. It just makes me miserable and there is no reason for me to be."

" _True_." She glared at him meaningfully and he laughed.

"Yes I know. How many times do I have to go on about how grateful I am that you're doing this before I get some kind of mercy?"

"At least twice a day until the thing gets her fat ass into gear."

"Lets hope its tomorrow for both our sakes." He replied, with a quick desperate prayer to Hera. He was going to go crazy if this carried on much longer.


	10. nine

They both hated New Year.

Maybe when they were younger they enjoyed it, but they were kids. Any excuse to get drunk and stay out all night was pretty welcome in their books, after everything they had been through. At the time, it was just nice to be able to let their hair down and let it all go, on this one night where it was okay to go mad because everyone else did.

Now the novelty had kind of faded and the quicker the night was over the better. It was always pretty loud outside and all they wanted was to sleep and then there were the endless phonecalls and texts as soon as the ball dropped and it was just _meaningless bullshit_. Being alive and the passing of time was always something to celebrate - they were lucky to have made it through another year - but that was what birthdays were for, right?

"I think we should go to Montauk soon." Percy mumbled. Annabeth was snoozing under his arm curled up under a blanket and it just kind of made sense to him. It would be nice to get away for a while, from the heaviness of the city and the sluggish doze of January that seemed to last forever. "Would be nice to get away for a couple of days."

Annabeth sighed wistfully. The sand between her toes, whether it was probably freezing or not would honestly feel wonderful. She lived for the seaside - the salty air and the softness of the waves. It reminded her of growing up in camp and being young and picnics and everything she loved about being who she was. It made her think of her Seaweed Brain and even if he was right beside her, she could never have too much of that.

"I know. We can't though, Percy. Bad timing."

He sighed. "Sucks."

Annabeth smiled. "Ungrateful prick."

"Love you too."

Trust Percy to bring Montauk up on the day she was feeling her worst. Her back ached like Hades, she felt sick and all she wanted to do was eat, everytime the baby kicked it was getting her right it the ribs and she couldn't help but think that maybe ..?

For a couple of seconds she kind of wished it would happen the Athena way, but on second thoughts a baby springing from her head would probably result in her death, which she didn't fancy, since no matter how much Percy told her she was a Goddess, she wasn't an _actual_ Goddess.

She still thought about Percy turning down being a God. It was a defining part of her life and she often wondered what would have happened if he had said yes and she never saw him again. She didn't like thinking like that because she'd be a _completely different person_ \- probably disgustingly successful but horribly lonely. The friends she had made had mainly been through Percy, whether it was because he had taught her to relax or because he was better at people than she was. She certainly wouldn't be _here_ , a couple of days overdue with a husband - half-asleep with chocolate around his mouth beside her.

Thank Gods he turned it down, because as delicious as being rich and successful sounded it wouldn't be worth it if she had no one to share it with - there would be no point in spending her success on material things when they wouldn't make her happy, which she valued above everything else.

"You know the God thing?" She asked.

"Which one?"

"When you turned it down."

"Yeah?"

"Did you even consider it?"

He hadn't thought about it for a long time. It seemed like an entire different life, laying here now. It felt like it was a dream or something - he hadn't been on a quest since the prophecy and he honestly didn't intend to. Parts of his past were becoming a little fuzzy now - up until fairly recently he could remember nearly every detail of what happened; from the zoo truck to the depths of Tartarus and as horrible as these places were sometimes, they were a part of _him_ and it made him sad that it wasn't so clear anymore. Things died with time, he supposed, whether they were meant to or not.

But was _he_ meant to? Would the prophecy of the seven even existed if he had agreed? Could he have prevented that war altogether? He wasn't sure.

"A little." He admitted. "I was a sixteen year old kid, so I guess immortality and power sounds pretty great when you're that age. I just didn't like knowing what I would be leaving behind. I was thinking about you and Camp and my parents and I didn't think I'd be very happy. All they do is fight up there anyways. Why do you ask?"

He had more sense than anyone gave him credit for, even then. Like he said, a lot of sixteen year old kids would jump at the chance of immense power and money - Percy was sensible enough to give it some thought and she _adored_ him for that. She loved how his life revolved around other people but he still managed to care for himself. He had the characteristics of an amazing father and it was ridiculously sweet.

"Don't know. I was just thinking about it." Annabeth yawned and stretched somewhat. She had never longed to be able to touch her toes so much in all her life. "You're not bad you know, Seaweed Brain."

He laughed. "Thanks."

"Anytime." She touched his arm. "Hey, don't freak, but -"

He froze. _Don't freak_ often suggested that it was exactly what he should have been doing. "You alright?"

She rolled her eyes.

"I just asked you not to freak, Seaweed Brain. Yes. I'm alright, but -" She shuffled uncomfortably as pain flared up in her back. "I'm under the impression we have a situation on our hands."

" _The_ situation?"

"Yeah." She said, softly. She had kind of been in denial since late that morning but as the day had gone on she got more and more sure. It was kind of nice to get it off her chest, really, although it was probably going to drive Percy mad with worry.

"I didn't even notice. Sorry, Wise Girl." He admitted after a long pause. Despite the thing being a few days overdue Percy had not expected this. Not for a few days, anyway.

Not that he wasn't glad because goddamn, he was so fucking _relieved_ he could have cried. It had been the longest couple of months ever, rushing around trying to prepare for the thing whilst both of them were still working and seeing Annabeth so fed up rubbed off on him, too.

He was bored, mostly. Bored of talking about the baby because he wanted her _here_.

"I didn't expect you to. It's not actually that bad."

" _Yet_." He smirked.

Talk about reassurance.

"Thanks, Percy."

He kissed her forehead. "Kidding. You'd better not be messing with me, Wise Girl."

"I'm not messing." She promised, picking her her chipped nail varnish - a sign she was nervous.

Percy sighed. He knew there wasn't a lot he could say to her because he had already said it and it wasn't like the situation could be avoided. She had to come out someday, after all.

"Its going to be okay, you know." He promised, his voice soft as Annabeth looked down at their joined hands. "I'm not going to leave you on your own, Wise Girl. I'll piss in a bucket if I have to."

"What a romantic notion." She smirked and Percy laughed. "I'd rather you just go to the restroom if you think I can handle a couple of minutes without your presence."

He rolled his eyes at her blatant sarcasm. She did that when she was nervous too; along with anything that she figured would turn Percy's attention away from it, although as a general rule, it made it far more obvious to him.

"What I'm saying is that I _know_ that you're not exactly looking forward to it and honestly I just want you to know that I'm here, no matter what, 'cause I know you try to hide stuff from me sometimes. You just gotta trust me."

"I _do_ trust you. I just... you worry too much."

"I know that." He squeezed her hand gently as she tensed up in his arms. "But please just let me. For a couple of days, at least."

"I don't have a choice really, do I Seaweed Brain?"

He smiled. "I doubt you ever will, Wise Girl."


	11. ten

Percy was unsurprisingly excellent at his supporting role.

He knew Annabeth inside and out and knew _exactly_ what she needed all the time and all she needed was to know he was there. He rarely stopped talking and making her laugh, even when in reality she was in a fair bit of pain and rightfully she shouldn't be finding anything even remotely funny, let alone giggling at all.

It was coming up to five in the morning and they could still see people trying to wobble their way home, sliding on the ice. They were undoubtedly thinking about themselves maybe three or four years earlier, when on this particular night it was sleeting so hard they could hardly see and didn't have the money for a taxi. They didn't find their way home until a couple of hours later and they ended up having a horribly hungover bath together watching the sun come up.

It was unlikely they would be doing things like that very often anymore. He was going to have no time to himself, no time with Annabeth, no time with the bloody cat. Not for a couple of years, anyway.

He was glad they waited so long just because the last couple of years with Annabeth had felt particularly beautiful. He had always known that they were a permanent thing, but the last couple of years had completely concreted it for him. He had grown up an awful lot recently, not just because of the baby - it just kind of happened on its own. He was completely comfortable within himself for the first time ever and he felt like he was even closer to Annabeth as a result. They understood eachother wholeheartedly and all the time they had spent together literally came down to _right now_ because this was the biggest thing they were ever going to do.

There was a doctor in the room now; it was going to happen soon and Percy had never been so scared in his life. And he wasn't the one who had to push the thing out.

Annabeth was characteristically calm. She had taken the whole thing completely in her stride and sure, she was in a horrible amount of pain a lot of the time but in the couple of minutes she got between contractions it was almost as if nothing was going on. It was completely _mindblowing_ because Percy had delivered a baby before and it wasn't like this. Annabeth was incredible.

Percy squeezed her hand.

"You okay?" He whispered.

She nodded. Little did Percy know that frankly if it were anyone else with her in here, the situation would probably be different. They had always done quests, hot death trips through Tartarus, anything like this _together_. Thats how they worked best. When he was missing, Annabeth _knew_ she wasn't herself and she couldn't handle anything monumental going on in camp as well as she could without having _him_ there to let off some steam to.

"Tired." She whispered in reply and took a sip from her energy drink. "This shit is disgusting."

Percy laughed. "I would go get you a different one but knowing my luck-"

"You are _not_ going anywhere."

It was the first time she has shown her vulnerability all night. This _was_ an uncomfortable situation for her. she could handle the pain pretty alright, but there were two strangers concentrating on a part of her body that she'd rather keep to a _much_ smaller audience, she was in a completely unfamiliar environment and she was putting her trust in people she didn't know which she had never been able to do. The whole experience had been completely undignified and sometimes downright embarrassing and maybe she was right about wishing she could do the Athena mind-sex thing after all.

Percy shook his head.

"Wouldn't dream of it." He could see the pain in her face and honestly, as scared as he was, the sooner this was over the better. "But to think how worried you've been about this and how... I don't even know. Gods, Annabeth, you wouldn't even know. How the fuck is this actually happening?" He wasn't entirely sure if she was listening, but he kept talking anyway. "You are actually _amazing._ How you can keep this level-headed over something as big as this is completely beyond me."

She took another big sip of her drink and sighed uncomfortably.

"You're an idiot." She smiled a little and squeezed his hand. "Thank you."

He leaned over and kissed her forehead. He was used to being called an idiot by now. Annabeth had been calling him one since day one and it had kind of evolved into a term of endearment and stuck that way.

"Fucking hell." She breathed, squeezing his hand inhumanly tight - this was some pretty brutal shit and she kind of wished she could have that cliché new-found respect for her mother or something that everyone went on about to make up for it, but _her_ Mom had cheated her way out of the whole pregnancy thing. She found herself feeling a little sorry for Athena because as nasty as these few months had been sometimes, it had been an _experience_ and honestly she felt amazingly, ridiculously happy a lot of the time and she would never be able to feel this.

As much of an experience this was, Annabeth couldn't say she wasn't relieved when it was over.

It happened suddenly at five twenty-seven on New Years' morning.

Annabeth was crying. Percy was crying. The baby was crying, red and warm swaddled in a towel on Annabeth's chest.

She was beautiful in that weird baby way. Her rosy skin was all wrinkly and her cheeks were round and she had an unrealistic amount of white curls. She was big, too - ten pounds of pure, chubby baby.

Percy met Annabeth's eyes and he didn't have a clue what to say and all he could shake out was a snotty nervous laugh. "I love you."

She smiled tearily and wiped her eyes with her hand.

"Love you too."

The second the took the baby away to check her over, they both felt completely empty. It was instantaneous, the incredible love and overpowering need to protect and whilst they couldn't see her they didn't feel like they could do that.

Percy took Annabeth's hand, for his reassurance more than anything. He could feel himself shaking. He was so _nervous_ about something that had already happened. He guessed he was worried about holding her or something, that maybe he would hurt her or that she would hate him or -

"Hey." Annabeth turned his face over to meet her eyes. "Calm down, Percy. She's fine. It's going to be okay."

"I know. Are you -"

She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"You asked me that five minutes ago. I'm alright, honestly. Relax."

"Not like its unjustified."

"But if I wasn't fine chances are I would tell you."

He sighed, completely unable to relax until the baby was with them again and he could see that she was safe, at least. He just wanted to go home, honestly. He worked in _this hospital_ and it was a familiar environment for him, but that wasn't to say he was comfortable. This was possibly the most important moment of his life and he didn't fancy being in a sterile room full of strangers - not that he could do anything about it. He knew better than most how safe this place was and that was the priority here.

He glanced up and relaxed a tiny bit as the nurse came back with his baby in her arms. She had stopped crying now and he could just see her eyelids flickering, falling asleep. Typical Jackson kid.

"Give her to Percy."

"Annabeth, are you sure? You just -"

She rolled her eyes. "Trust me, Percy."


	12. eleven

Annabeth watched him, smiling. He was infinitely gentle and soft as he adjusted himself and shuffled towards Annabeth on his chair. He didn't even look up. He couldn't have. He was completely mesmerised, utterly smitten with the baby in his arms. _His_ baby. Their daughter.

She had never seen him like this - his attention completely in one place. There was _nothing_ that had kept him like this before, his steady, settled gaze holding on to her with everything he had. There was no _need_ to tap his feet or fidget because _she_ was enough for now.

He looked up at Annabeth and smiled dopily, eyes heavy with relief and exhaustion. He looked beautiful - they both did. She was so tiny, so fragile and new in his arms - strong and pocked with marks and scars, his hands rough and calloused and worked. They were the complete opposites in so many ways, but even now, she could see tiny hints of similarity. Her nose, the shape of her face - even _knowing_ all babies looked pretty much the same, knowing that maybe she was just dreaming, imagining where this was going to lead - she was sure right then and it mattered to her.

"Oh Gods. I'm an actual _Dad_." He mumbled as he adjusted the blanket around his daughter and she squirmed in his arms, looking up at him briefly with distaste and closing her eyes again. Oh yeah. This was Annabeth's daughter all over. "That's fucking terrifying."

Annabeth laughed quietly beside him, lying on her side with her hand on his shoulder.

"She likes you though."

His smile was gorgeous, even under the harsh white hospital lights. He peeled his eyes away from the baby to look at Annabeth.

"Or she's just tired and doesn't care."

"Nah. She's still awake." She brushed her cheek with the back of her hand, barely even touching her as her eyes opened again, her frown hilarious and undeniably Percy-ish.

"Alright. So she likes me." He admitted, although he couldn't say he understood why. He probably stank and his hands were admittedly a little shaky and rough. But he was her _Father_ and this was the weirdest feeling ever. He had never in his entire life felt love like this. This was a complete different world to Annabeth - now he understood everything his Mom had ever said to him about this. It _was_ different in so many ways. There was no _falling_ with this kind of love; it was an explosion, a complete erruption of chaos in his heart and he didn't know where to look but it was kind of fun.

"No, but really." His smile faded and his eyes turned serious as he looked back at his daughter. "She's _so so so_ so beautiful and I kind of feel like it isn't enough to say that, you know? 'Cause they always say that in films but there isn't any other word for it that I know. And it still probably wouldn't be enough. And I feel like anything I want say to you is completely not enough because _Jesus_ , Annabeth. It was some serious tough shit and I've just been sat here questioning my entire being because you were just so _chill_ and it just looked so easy and I _know_ it's a major bag of dicks but heck, you _did it_ , Wise Girl. I bet Hera's looking at you like 'she is better at childbirth than me and I am the _Goddess_ of Childbirth.' I'm not even kidding. You're amazing and I am pathetically in love with you. Both of you, actually."

She leant over and kissed his cheek.

"Yeah, well. If you want any more you're going to have to wait at least a couple of years."

"Tell me about it. I've reached the top of my stress allowance for now thanks."

Annabeth laughed. This had changed everything. She couldn't believe, after years of wondering if it was even a good idea, that she was a Mother. And she never thought that she'd end up thinking of Percy differently, but she did. She loved him even more. He knew what to say and he knew when to make her laugh and he understood this whole thing more than she did. She put her trust in him completely and he knew exactly what to do. That was more than she could ever ask for.

"Hey." She whispered. "Thank you. I couldn't have -"

"Don't be stu-"

"Percy, don't you dare brush it off. I mean it, alright? Thanks for taking care of me."

He shrugged.

"It's what we do, right? We take care of each other. I don't even think about it, Annabeth."

"That doesn't mean I can't be grateful."

"It means that I don't expect you to thank me."

"But what if I want to?"

"Then I suppose I'll have to deal with it." He leaned over and kissed her with a smile and adjussted his arms a little, getting used to the way she felt when he held her, settling into his weird new title. "This was such a good idea, but Gods am I glad we waited."

He knew, even if he had thought he was a couple of years ago, realistically he was probably nowhere near there. Sure - he could take care of himself well enough, but even after everything, he didn't think he had the emotional maturity to handle this back then. A _lot_ had changed over a short period of time and he had suddenly grown up. He was, admittedly a little kid at heart, even now, but his priorities had changed. He just wanted to _settle_ now. He was fed up of constant nights out, of missing work, of not _caring_.

He knew it was okay for him to need some time to let it all go - to make up for the years and years of stupidity, of _fun_ that he missed, but to think he was even contemplating having a kid at that time freaked him out a little.

Annabeth, at least, had been realatively sensible and said _no_ \- she was in the same place as Percy was. It was something she wanted, but damn, no way was she cool with giving away a couple of months of her career when it was just starting to take off and she was absolutely _not_ going to give up her relaxed, easy life she was living wth Percy.

"Me too." She admitted softly. "You've changed, Seaweed Brain."

"I know."

"Still annoying though." Percy laughed as she touched the corner of his eye. "I think you're getting wrinkles, you know?"

"Please don't say that."

She just smirked, running her finger across the faint lines around his eyes, amazed that he had finally started actually aging and didn't look like a sixteen-year-old kid anymore.

Her gaze settled on her baby, her _daughter,_ with her beautiful hazy green eyes and scattering of freckles and blonde curls. She reperesented the best of her and Percy - she was going to be the best thing they would ever achieve. She was going to be smart _and_ athletic. Brave _and_ kind. Sensitive _and_ funny. She was going to be everything Annabeth wanted to be. She would do anything to give her a better life that she had had.

"I think she looks like a Sophie." She said eventually, half her face squashed into her pillow.

He looked at her for a while, running the back of his hand over the warm roundness of her cheeks. He brushed back a curl in her hair and nodded.

"Well, thank Gods we aren't going for the pretentious Greek name route." He grinned lightly. "Yeah. I'm down for that. Soph suits her."

"I wouldn't do that to the poor kid." She grinned. "Although that was relatively easy, going by any previous attempts we've had at coming up with something."

"It's easier 'cause I at least know what she looks like. I probably would have just brushed it off if I didn't know how well it suited her. Besides, it's _such_ a good name for someone who's like, destined to be a badass."

"I feel like you're automatically assuming she's going to cause trouble."

Percy mouth curled up into a gorgeous, mischievous half-smile. Of _course_ she was going to cause trouble. Neither he or Annabeth could manage to keep trouble out much further than a half-mile radius, on a good day.

"She's our daughter, Annabeth. 'Course she is."

As much as she could lie there and hope she wouldn't, she was a daughter of Athena. Everything she did was based on fact and as much as she hated to admit it, Percy was probably right. She was going to be the definition of trouble, going by her Father's history, with his stupid charm and ridiculous stubborn grip on life.

It would probably piss Athena off but... Annabeth wished she could say she wasn't glad.


	13. twelve

It was just past midday and Annabeth had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. They had been discharged from the hospital and Percy knew reality would only completely sink in for him when they settled back into everyday life at home. Even now, behind him in her car seat, Soph didn't feel real to him.

From the very little he knew of her, she had been very quiet which he wasn't sure if he was glad about or not. He did love his sleep, but he wasn't doing this because he thought it would be an easy ride. He was doing it because he wanted to be a parent. Part of him wanted sleepless nights, intense worry and deep frustration - he wanted to build a relationship with his daughter and he would never _do_ that if she never gave him the opportunity.

Not that she could help being a little quiet. She was just a baby, after all. He figured she was probably tired too and maybe she needed to settle into this weird life she had managed to get herself into.

It had felt like such a long drive. He wasn't sure if it was because Annabeth was sleeping or because he was looking forward to being home so much and he was so _relieved_ to be in sight of _home_ until he saw his Mom's car parked up nearby.

" _Fuck_." He muttured.

It sounded awful and he felt a little bad for being so annoyed. He hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours and Gods knew how Annabeth was feeling - probably a lot worse than she was letting on. They weren't exactly in the right mood for hosting and he dreaded to think of what state they'd left the house in.

"Hey." He squeezed Annabeth's shoulder softly and she smiled a little.

"Hi." She mumbled, her voice all croaky and tired. She glanced up at Sally's car. "Did you call her?"

"I was about to ask you the same question."

"No." She sighed. "Just what we needed."

He leaned over and kissed her cheek in apology. Not like it was his fault but she was _his_ Mother and as lovely as she was, she had some serious bad timing issues.

Annabeth's parents were the complete opposite. They would never choose to come say hi, even after her father's promises of change. He didn't seem to _care_ and there were times where he could have put all his grudges about who she was aside and be there for her. She spent a lot of time pretending it didn't bother her but he knew it did. Even on their wedding day, she kept glancing at the door to see if he had decided to turn up. Percy hoped he didn't ruin it for her.

"She probably won't stay long." Percy promised. "You good to take Soph? I've got the bags."

"Thank you." She tilted his face over and kissed him softly before she stepped out of the car. "I love you. I'll stick the kettle on."

It was unexpectedly cold outside. It was one of those days where it was gorgeously sunny and pale so it looked about ten degrees warmer than it was, paricularly after the heating being on the highest setting in the car. Still, it was Annabeth's favourite kind of weather. She loved winter. There was nothing nicer than getting inside from the cold and drinking more hot drinks than she should and reading by the fire. It was all horribly cliché but annoyingly true.

He shook his head. "I'll do it. The good news is, she's probably tidied the house."

"Probably." Annabeth agreed. So maybe Sally's timing wasn't _so_ bad on that front. "And you won't. Its the least I can do, Seaweed Brain."

"Don't be ridiculous. I haven't done anything." He adjusted the heavy bag on his shoulder and slipped the key in the door. "You ready for this? 'Cause I'm not. I hate seeing her cry."

"Go on, Percy. It's freezing."

He smiled and opened the door.

he had never imagined when they left at one o'clock that morning home would feel so different. But the second Annabeth carried Sophie through the front door he felt the shift of his life. From now on, nothing was going to be the same. It had only ever been the two of them. They could be selfish and have the stereo on loud and sing at the top of their lungs in the shower and use the toilet with the door open and have sex on the couch and they wouldn't be able to do these things anymore. Not when Soph was in, anyway.

He supposed if he wasn't ready, he'd feel sad about losing all of these things - stupid little pleasures that shouldn't mean anything but _did_. And yet, as he stood in the hallway, he _accepted_ it. Sure, he had lost all of these things but he had gained _so much_. He had a daughter, for fucks' sake. A constant source of entertainment and frustration and laughter for the rest of his life and he had never been so excited for the future.

"Go sit down, Wise Girl." He kissed her cheek.

She smirked and shook her head.

"Let me put the kettle on first."

"You are so annoying, Annabeth. Just let me do it, okay?"

"No." She smirked.

"Please, Wise Girl. I feel like I need to make everything up to you." He admitted.

"Percy," Annabeth said, softly. "You don't need to. I don't -"

"I _know_ you don't think I do. I want to, though."

She sighed a little, deciding to let it go, for now. The idea of snuggling up on their old couch did sound pretty nice, after all. "Alright. I hope you realise how dramatic you're being, Seaweed Brain."

"I know." He promised and kissed both their foreheads. "Where are you, Mom?!"

Turns out she was doing their dishes, elbow deep in the soapy water. She had probably completely gutted the house while they were gone, too. She wasn't actually the tidiest person in the world but she was just so goddamn kind that she'd be happy to clean anyone elses. She probably enjoyed having a good nose around, too, but Percy didn't mind that. She was his Mom, after all.

"I'll finish up. It only takes me a couple of seconds." He kissed her cheek.

"Don't be thick, I've pretty much done it now." She looked up from the dishes and glanced at him, noting how tired he looked. Up all night watching movies, probably. "Where have you been?" She asked. "Its a bit early for you two, isn't it?"

 _Tell me about it._

Percy grinned. "Hospital."

"...no."

He laughed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a quick squeeze. His Mom had probably been more excited about Sophie than anyone else. It seemed like her only goal in life was to have grandchildren and it had become a long-running joke since Percy (finally) got with Annabeth in the first place.

"Yeah." He kissed her cheek. "Go on, Mom. Let me do this. Go see her."

She bit her lip. "I suppose I could -"

"Just go." He laughed. "You having tea?"

Sally kissed her son's forehead. After years of suffering and fighting and thinking of everyone else, she realised that everything had been worth it for him. Even after seeing the smile on his face after he got married, the happiness in his eyes _right then_ was far more. It was permanent, too - not like the newlywed feeling. The excitement of being a married couple faded soon after, when everyday life settled right back in and everything felt the same as before. Even after everything, years of torment and wondering _where the fuck Percy was_ , Sally had never lost that glow, that warm feeling of knowing that she was a Mother, something she had always wanted to see in her son after all this time.

"Only a tiny one. I won't stay too long because you're probably all shattered."

"Thank you."

Sally grinned.

"Don't be stupid. Congratulations, Percy."

"Thanks, Mom."

He could hear his Mom crying pretty much the second she left the kitchen. He complained about her a lot, but he was lucky to have the Mother he did. He knew it took a lot of courage to keep at it with a kid like _him_ in her life, to stick by him even thirty years later and do all his washing up.

He stood in the doorway and watched as the kettle was boiling. His Mom was pacing around the room softly, bouncing Soph in her arms and not taking her eyes off her. It was nice to see her so happy. This _was_ everything she wanted, after all, so maybe she'd be able to relax a bit now and be fully _content_ with how things were. He watched Annabeth, lay back on the couch, rubbing her eyes. Gods knew how little sleep she had managed over the last couple of weeks, but he dreaded to think how she was feeling now. She caught his concerned gaze and flashed him her middle finger with a smirk. He laughed.

He didn't know how these next few weeks, or months, or years were going to go. He didn't know how he was going to manage this, or what they would be doing in ten years time, or Gods, whether he'd even be alive in ten years time. Demigod life was, at best unpredictable.

So unpredictable that he never expected to be standing in the kitchen of his home, making tea for his wife, who happened to be his best friend once upon a time and his Mother, who had risked anything and everything for him. He didn't expect to have a newborn daughter at thirty because he didn't expect to _live_ to thirty.

But that was the _point_. He was here and he had everything, despite everything they had been through because they were _together_. And as long as they were together, things were going to turn out okay. It always did, in the end.


End file.
